By Scott Campbell

town crier file photo Lancer quarterback Richie Scudellari completed 11-of-27 passes for 114 yards in Friday night’s 20-7 loss to Valley Christian.

As is so often the case in big-time football games, the St. Francis-Valley Christian showdown was decided by turnovers.

Despite a solid first-half performance against the defending Central Coast Section champions, St. Francis threw two costly interceptions in the third quarter that proved the difference in its 20-7 road loss on Nov. 4.

In addition to ruining their dreams of an undefeated season, the loss cost the Lancers the West Catholic Athletic League title and likely the No. 1 seed in the upcoming CCS playoffs.

“They’re a good solid team,” St. Francis coach Mike Mitchell said of the Warriors, “but we didn’t help by beating ourselves tonight.”

After the teams played to a 7-7 draw at the half, the Lancers (8-1, 4-1 WCAL) coughed up the ball deep in their own territory three plays into the third quarter.

St. Francis quarterback Richie Scudellari appeared to complete a hard-thrown pass to tailback Ryan Perry, but the ball popped loose and Valley Christian’s Jake Walker was there to intercept it at the Lancers’ 32-yard line.

Three plays later, Warriors quarterback Dante Perez put his team up for good by threading the needle to complete a 32-yard touchdown pass to wideout Bryan North.

Despite Perry, in at cornerback, blanketing him with textbook coverage, North somehow came down with the highlight-reel catch.

“When we put the ball up to Bryan in isolation like that, we expect pretty good things to happen and they usually do,” said Valley Christian coach Mike Machado. “That’s been the kind of play Bryan’s made all year long.”

Kicker Ben Hansen’s point-after gave the Warriors a 14-7 lead with 8:53 remaining in the third quarter.

Valley Christian (9-1, 6-0 WCAL) cashed in on another turnover on the Lancers’ ensuing possession.

When a fleet of Warriors defenders broke through the St. Francis line, Scudellari had to hurry a throw and was intercepted by linebacker Mike Giancola.

St. Francis running back Matt Taufoou saved a touchdown by lunging to tackle Giancola at the Lancers’ 10-yard line, but the Warriors’ offense again inherited great field position.

The Lancers’ defense held strong, but Hansen booted a 22-yard field goal, his first of two on the night, to put Valley Christian up 17-7.

“Our defense did an awesome job tonight,” said Scudellari, who completed 11-of-27 passes for 114 yards. “We just turned the ball over too many times tonight in their red zone, so a team like that’s going to put points on the board.”

St. Francis managed just two first downs in its final six possessions as Valley Christian showed why it has only allowed one of its opponents to score more than nine points.

In the first half, the Lancers looked primed to reverse that trend. After forcing a three-and-out on the Warriors’ game-opening possession, St. Francis embarked on a bruising, 17-play drive that spanned 9:51.

Taufoou, who rushed 11 times for 38 yards, plowed through the line for a 1-yard touchdown to open the second quarter that, following Michael Calcagno’s point-after, gave St. Francis a 7-0 lead.

On Valley Christian’s next possession, Perez found running back Mike Ginther wide open in the corner of the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown that allowed the Warriors to keep pace with their WCAL rivals.

St. Francis, which averaged nearly 34 points per game winning its first four WCAL contests, continued to move the ball on Valley Christian’s renowned defense on their next series.

The Lancers used a mix of runs and passes to get within striking distance, but eventually the drive stalled and Scudellari missed a 35-yard field goal that would have given St. Francis a 10-7 halftime lead.

The loss snapped the Lancers’ eight-game winning streak and left St. Francis as runner-up to Valley Christian in the WCAL for the second consecutive season.

“It’s a wake-up call,” said Mitchell, whose team faces St. Ignatius in its league finale while the Warriors will extend their celebration into a bye week. “We’ve just got to regroup. Fortunately, it’s not the last game of the season.”

Following their visit to the Wildcats 1 p.m. Saturday, the Lancers will await their seeding in the CCS Open Division Playoffs. After seeing its 2004 CCS title hopes end with a 21-0 loss to Valley Christian last November, St. Francis has its eyes on a rematch down the road.

“I have no doubt in my mind that we’ll play them again,” said Lancers senior linebacker Colin Jones. “I can’t wait.”